Smile in the Rain
by Plural Force
Summary: An event has reset the entire world, and the knights are scattered throughout Dusis, with no memories and only a strange story of Draqueen. The three journey to the capital to recover their old lives. Ch.3 up, Thatz has a strange encounter with a mirror.
1. Stories of a rumored past

_Because if you smile in the rain..._

_No one can tell whether you're laughing or crying..._

Smile in the Rain, number one:

Stories of a rumored past

"Alright, now which story do you want to hear about today...?"

An eager voice piped up. "Tell us about the Draqueen story!"

Another child joined in. "Yeah, the one with the Dragons and the Demons!"

The storyteller laughed. "My my, again...? You children sure do like that story, don't you?"

"Yeah!"

"It's interesting!"

The woman laughed again. "Well, alright... it all started many years ago, when the Dragon Lord came to rule over Dusis..."

-o0o-

"Rune, aren't you going to listen to Julie's story...?"

"Hm?" The blonde boy, currently walking by the kitchen with a tall stack of laundry, looked over at the red-haired woman who was in the process of mixing together ingredients for a cake.

"She's talking about the Dragons again, you know."

Rune set the stack of dirty clothes over on a nearby table and joined the woman at the counter. "You know, if I had any idea what this story was about, I might be able to respond, Marika."

She eyeballed him quickly before she continued stirring. "Don't tell me you've never heard the story about the Dragons."

"No, can't say I have. What is it about?"

Marika stopped and stared at him, setting her spoon down entirely. "You can't have not heard it. Rune, every living person in Dusis knows that story."

He snorted. "Well, what am I, the living dead, then? Tell me this story."

She sighed. "Okay, alright, I'll tell you the story..."

Marika took a deep breath and began. "Well, they say that many years ago, there was some... war between the Dragons and the Demons. Apparently, Dragons had this monarchy over all of Dusis at the time, and the Demon Lord wanted control. So he kidnapped the Lord's queen and declared war on the Dragons. This apparently started a huge... feud between both clans. And according to rumor, a few years ago some incident reset the entire world and brought it to the way it is now." She snorted. "Honestly. A lord ruling over the kingdom? _What_ is this world coming to? We can take care of ourselves, why do we need a king? Seriously, someone needs to be brought to reality. We would know if there had been some huge war, right, Rune?"

Rune, however, had lapsed off into silence at the end of Marika's story. "Say... Marika... you don't think that story actually happened, do you?"

"What?" She looked at him strangely. "Of course not. Where have you been, Rune?" Marika just sighed. "They _also_ say, however, that when a few years have passed, the lord's three greatest fighters, the Dragon Knights, will reunite and bring the kingdom back under rule again. It's an interesting story, but it's a load of rubbish, if you ask me." The woman paused to look back over at Rune. "Why do you ask?"

He sighed. "It's just... Marika, you have to understand, I don't have any memories from before this past year. And now, hearing this story... I just feel like I've finally found my calling..." Rune looked up. "Say... you wouldn't happen to know those knights' names, would you...?"

Marika paused in thought for a moment. "Let's see... well, the Dragon Knight of Fire was Rath... then there was the Dragon Knight of Earth... that was... Thatz, I think... and then..." She looked at him. "Then there was the Dragon Knight of Water... Rune..."

Rune's breath caught in his throat as he looked up at his companion. "...Rune?" he whispered. "The Dragon Knight... of Water..."

And a moment later, he was up on his feet, the laundry now forgotten, walking from the kitchen.

"Rune...? Wait! Where are you going?"

But the boy made no answer as he silently strode from the room.

-o0o-

"Rune!"

He was walking away from the small house, pack on his shoulders, when a voice made him turn around.

"Marika...?"

"Now where are you going?" she demanded, hands on her hips. The redhead stared at him defiantly. "Don't tell me you're going down to Draqueen to pursue that silly mustery."

Rune sighed. "Marika, I... I don't belong here. Look at me. I have no memories. I don't _belong_ in an orphanage in Cezarre. I belong down in the capital, where that old legend is from... I have to at least see what's pulling me there... what's calling me..." He trailed off, looking at the sky.

Marika heaved a sigh and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to miss you, boy."

Rune gave her a tiny smile in thanks before turning and heading off down the road.

-o0o-

Okay, so I must admit I've had this storyline in my head for quite a while now, and I just _had_ to write it finally. I don't know how long it will be, but I do have an ending in mind. So sit back, enjoy the ride, and don't forget to review my new "epic" every once in a while. I'll see you next chapter...

Hobey-ho,  
Peophin-chan


	2. The Demon Hunter's tale

Hey, all. I've learned that long plane rides are your friend-- I got this and chapter 3 both written on the plane to Chicago. I'll post 3 up soon, but I want to see how this is recieved. 

Oh, and our little OC Raemon's name is pronounced rye-mon, not ray-mon. Just so you know.

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Knights.

Smile in the Rain, number two:

The Demon Hunter's tale

"Rath."

He hummed quietly as he kneaded the dough in front of him.

"Rath!"

Cooking was rather calming to him, he thought-- though he wasn't much good at it.

"RATH!"

"Huh?" Rath snapped out of his daze, looking up from where he was working at the counter.

A short, stout woman stood there in front of the smoking stove, her ear-length blonde hair ruffling angrily in the nonexistent wind. She held up what may once have been bread, but was now burnt beyond all recognition.

"You've been cooking again, haven't you." It was phrased as a statement, not a question.

"Bianca, I--"

"What have I told you about _not_ setting foot in the kitchen?" Dumping the... thing... in the trash, the woman turned to face her now-muitlated cooking appliance.

"You ruined my stove," she stated. "I didn't think it possible. You _ruined_ my stove."

Rath laughed anxiously. "Bianca, I'm--"

"Don't _even_ say it, Rath." Bianca turned to face him with a glare.

A second head poked itself into the kitchen. "Hey, what's going on in-- oh, has Rath been cooking again?"

"GAH!" Rath threw his hands up in the air. "You too, Raemon! Is everyone against me or something?"

The man called Raemon chuckled as he stepped in through the doorway. Long brown hair, bright green eyes, and a kind smile-- he was a pretty one, all right. Rath glared at the smiling man, who was just staring at him.

"Really, though..." Raemon mused. "Red hair, mistrusting disposition, bad cooking... You really _are_ just like the man in that story..."

"Huh?" Rath looked at him, confused. "Story?"

Raemon sighed and sat down at the table nearby.

Bianca frowned, crossing her arms over her chest, and leaning against the countertop.

Rath just looked back and forth between the two.

"There's a legend in Dusis..." Raemon began, "of an... alternate reality, perhaps, where the country was ruled by a race called Dragons. The Demons wanted control, I suppose, which led to this huge war... supposedly, there was a huge explosion that completely reset everything, and the country became the way it is now." He shrugged. "I wouldn't believe such a story normally, except you..." Raemon trailed off.

Rath stared at him. "I _what_?"

Raemon just sighed again. "Supposedly, in this Dragon Tribe, there were three... knights, I guess. There was one... he was exactly like _you_, Rath. They say that he had dark red hair with a small white spot in front--" Raemon motioned to the appropriate place in his own hair-- "--and bloodred eyes... From the stories I've heard, he didn't like his tribe very much, and he was a bit distrusting. They also say he was _obsessed_ with hunting demons... and a _very_ bad cook," Raemon added, looking directly at Rath.

Rath was standing there, eyes wide, one hand gripping the counter for support. "This is... too much..." He looked at Raemon again. "...What was his name?"

Raemon turned his head away. "...I don't know."

Bianca stared at Rath for a moment. Then, abruptly, she turned on her heel and strode out of the room.

"Bianca...!"

-o0o-

They found Bianca in the bedroom, sitting by a tall bookshelf. A few books were scattered here and there, and she was focusing intently on the one in her hand.

Rath knelt beside her. "Bianca... what is it?"

"Look at this." She showed the book-- a history of the legend, apparently-- to him. "'There were three Dragon Knights: Thatz, the Dragon Knight of Earth, Rune, Dragon Knight of Water, and Rath Illuser, Dragon Knight of Fire.'"

Rath stared at it, running his fingers over the page slowly.

_Rath Illuser, Dragon Knight of Fire._

"This is too much of a coincidence to believe," he whispered. Standing up, he rushed out of the room.

-o0o-

A few hours later, Rath was standing at the front door, bags in hand.

"So you're really going to Draqueen..." Raemon muttered.

"Of course." Rath grinned. "Hey, if we never even _get_ any travelers up here in Yuba, then how am I supposed to find out more about this story?"

Raemon smiled quietly. "Then I'll go with you."

"What?" Rath eyed him dubiously. "You sure you're up to it?"

The brown-haired man laughed. "Hey, I need to get out more, anyway."

Rath smiled at him. "All right."

And so, the two men set out down the road.

-o0o-

So? What you think? Review and let me know.

-Bianca is modeled after Akane from Ranma 1/2.  
-Raemon has been one of my three voices-in-my-head for a while, and he needed a home so I stuck him in here. Cookies to the first person who can tell me which DK character he's modeled after.

So, review, my dear readers, and I'll see you around.

Hobey-ho,  
Peophin-chan


	3. The Man in the Mirror

Well, here's another instance of my writing the author's notes before posting-- I'm on the plane home from Chicago as I write this. (The chapter was written on the plane _to_ Chicago, though.)

Now, let me just clarify... Raemon is NOT modeled after Kaistern. I don't know WHERE y'all are getting that from... maybe it's the whole "hanging out with Rath" thing, but let me remind you that Raemon has been living in my head since LONG before this was thought up... heck, he wasn't even supposed to be IN a DK fanfiction oO;;; So, I'll give y'all one more chance, and then tell you next chapter. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Knights.

Smile in the Rain, number three:

The Man in the Mirror

Laughter filled the streets as the door continuously opened again and again, people constantly trickling in and out of the most crowded bar in Luwa. Inside, three people sat at the very front of the bar, joking and having a good time.

The first was a blonde with messy hair and lively gray eyes, smiling and teasing the other two. Every so often, a passerby might clap him on the shoulder or pat him on the back as they walked by. "Jeremy!" they'd say. "How's the old book-binding business going?" And Jeremy would reply, "Doing just fine, thanks." But everyone knew that was a lie-- the boy was really a thief, and the book-binder story was just a cover-up.

Next, there was a man with black hair and stunning blue eyes. Almost everyone who greeted Jeremy as they passed would in turn greet Jonathan as well-- though from his regal look, one would never guess that this man was a thief as well, stooping just as low as his companion.

In between the two was a boy with unkempt, dark green hair and emerald eyes. A small x-shaped scar lined his cheek, as did many others all over his body. Only a few others in the bar who noticed Jeremy and Jonathan might greet Thatz-- the thief was not too well known in this city just yet, preferring to lie low at the moment. Still, a few others might occasionally stop to say hi, and Thatz appreciated it all the same.

Just as soon as an onlooker might finish observing all this, their meeting was adjourned, and the three went their separate ways. Jeremy went left to the book-binding shop he was running, Jonathan to another bar to meet some friends, and Thatz simply went off to his small room.

"Man, what a day," Thatz muttered as he set his bag down on the small table near the door. "I can't _believe_ what Jeremy's up to this time, stealing from _her_..."

"You think you've got it made, don't you?"

The sudden voice in the room made Thatz jump. There was no one else in here, was there!

Then he caught sight of the mirror.

It was... him in the mirror. But it wasn't him. Not a reflection. This Thatz was different. His eyes, it seemed, had a more mature look about them than his own. The other major difference was the long scar running across his face, slashed from the middle of his forehead to the bottom of his left cheek.

"You're the one who can't remember..."

Thatz just stared at it. "Wha-- what... are you..."

The mirror-Thatz looked at him with contempt. "You've heard the stories, haven't you? Of the Dragon Tribe?"

"Y--yes..." Being a thief in a city such as this, it was hard _not_ to hear the stories.

"Well, wake up, stupid! Haven't you wondered just a _little_ bit about that missing memory of yours? Or why you're _exactly_ like one of the knights?"

Thatz stared at the mirror. "What... should I do?"

"Go to Draqueen," the mirror-man answered, turning away. "You'll find your answers there. And on the road, too..."

And everything returned to normal, the scarred man fading from sight.

-o0o-

"You're going to Draqueen...?"

Thatz nodded at his two friends. "I'll find my answers there," he said quietly. "To my memories. And all the Dragon stories."

Jonathan just looked at him silently, while Jeremy stared for a moment.

"You're not leaving today," the blonde said at last.

"...What? Why?"

"Because that won't leave us any time to pack," Jeremy said brightly.

Thatz grinned.

And the next morning, the three figures could be seen walking down the road.

-o0o-

That whole idea with the scar (where it appears and disappears with his memories) has been in my head for a while now... but by the time I thought it up, it was too late to use it in Revelations, so it makes its way here.

Now, about the OCs...

-The contest from last chapter is still on: Who exactly is Raemon modeled after? It's only one character, but y'all are close.  
-Cookies to anyone who can tell me where I pulled Jonathan from-- not very hard if you read fantasy novels. XD;;;  
-All right. The first person who can tell me where I got the name Jeremy from (just the name) gets to request a custom sketch/drawing! (Examples of my work are at peophin-chan(dot)deviantart(dot)com, or in my art thread at the Reverein forum.) Hints will come along, depending on how hard you guys think it is. XD

So, yeah. I happen to like my Jeremy. And the book-binder thing was the first thing that popped into my head-- probably the result of that video in Science a few weeks ago. I believe some scientist was a book-binder's apprentice... gak, can't remember the name oO;;; Anyone know? oO;;;

...Oh, and just so y'all know, I've stuck Rune in... Cezarre, I believe? Gosh, I actually had to check that... anyway, I've stuck Thatz in Luwa, and I've put Rath all the way up in Yuba... and I want them to all arrive in Draqueen at the same time, so to even things out a bit, Rath and Raemon will be on a smooth course for a bit, while Rune and Thatz & co. will have a LOT of delays. XD;;;

Enjoy. Review. See y'all next chapter :3

Hobey-ho,  
Peophin-chan


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